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An iPhone-Esque App Store Will be a Lot for T-Mobile to Handle

Good luck, T-Mobile. If recently claims that the wireless operator’s USA division plans the introduction of a mobile application store in a vein similar to Apple’s own popular adventure are accurate, the carrier, currently the fourth-largest in the country, could have something of a resurgence. "Could" being the keyword.

Despite the Apple fanclub’s predilection for viewing the company’s so-called seamless integration of elegance within the iPod-iPhone-iTunes paradigm as all but insurmountable, in terms of consumer interest and sales, I am one to think that, unlike with the iPod’s hold on the portable music player business, Apple will have a tougher time convincing the world of its marvelousness amid competing smartphone platforms. Yet it may also be presumptuous to think a carrier like T-Mobile USA will follow the success of iPhone 2.0 with an application storefront which too proves very lucrative.

It isn’t that a comparison of Apple to T-Mobile makes the latter look inferior. That specific juxtaposition is not very sensible, actually. One is a hardware and software house. The other is a mobile carrier. Nonetheless, the idea put forth this week about T-Mobile by Tricia Duryee of mocoNews - that it will likely debut in autumn a retail structure for mobile software developers to deliver applications to the carrier’s subscribers, to any and all mobile devices it sells and supports - is a message I take with caution.

Not that I disbelieve it. It’s bound to happen sooner or later. T-Mobile has been vague about its calendar for the weeks ahead, referring only to a devPartner community website. But suffice it to say that the company will have to follow in Apple’s footsteps. Instead, I’m curious to see how T-Mobile is able to grapple with three fairly major inconveniences: its non-global presence, its inferior network, and the inevitable mess that comes with providing tangential support for phone software compatibility issues.

Let’s jump straight to the last example. Apple has shown that, even with its singular focus on a home-grown smartphone, technical issues persist. And it is very, very familiar with its code base. I imagine T-Mobile is not as acquainted with the devices that play on its network. So when problems do arise, they’re bound to be amplified and extended in kind. The network will thus perhaps preempt a user mutiny by requiring software makers to step up and handle concerns. And seeing as how T-Mobile likely intends to provide a venue for numerous devices through said storefront, management will be an intense undertaking. And given the histories of American mobile carriers, it may be safe to expect less of T-Mobile in the way of success.

As for its network, I wouldn’t say that its delayed release of 3G service is a deal breaker, but it’s no strong sales pitch, either. If anything, this will only mute the debut of a storefront further. Not to mention any discrepancies with mobile Web access. AT&T mandates that iPhone users subscribe to an unlimited data plan. T-Mobile’s current plan regulations will probably have to change as well. (Wi-Fi access is also relative to the device offered by T-Mobile.)

Perhaps the best thing that Apple had done with its App Store release was to have its debut across an international stage. As with many Web applications of today, the number of applications available to consumers around the globe has little to do with their location. There are some exceptions, yes, but for the most part, it’s a come-one-come-all approach to distribution. It’s nearly the same idea that went into Apple’s push to travel all seven seas, so to speak, with the iTunes Store. Which makes people a many nationalities quite content.

T-Mobile USA, meanwhile, is not quite so far-reaching. It has a significant spread in Europe and the UK, but elsewhere, not so much.

Maybe that’s not a fair point to raise. T-Mobile is where it is, and should be considered as such. Yet even taking only its chosen markets into account (whichever they may be, when launch day arrives), T-Mobile still has the the first two abovementioned hurdles to supplant. Which will be difficult to do. Much more so than Apple’s task, I suspect. The carrier’s ambition, if it is indeed brought to market, is something to watch. If things go well, T-Mobile may soon see much brighter days ahead. But years of evidence suggests an unremarkable surprise if and when the application storefront makes its grand entrance.

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